A Nightmarish Wonderland
by ScarletPixie77
Summary: A gothic Alice in Wonderland where vampires, demons, witches, goblins, and other nightmarish creatures prevail, including an scary and angry Queen of Hearts.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

** A**licen Porter walked through the park in silence. The sun was just beginning to set off into the other side of the world, and the sky looked like a multicolor painting. Besides the small animals, and the sleeping birds, the park was empty. Alice didn't mind the quietness though. She had just got off of work at a bar with sexually harassing men and loud women, and the quietness was pleasing to her. She never minded the solitude, ever.

At the edge of the park, beside the dark waters of the river, there was a single bench. Alice sat herself down upon it and rubbed her temples with her fingers, dulling the pain of her long-day headache. Soon she found herself staring at the star-studded sky above the black liquid river, and slowly falling asleep.

She awoke to a silent rustling. It was night and the stars in the sky winked at her. She sat up quickly, looking around for any intruders, but she found none. Something was wrong. Something didn't feel right. Her mother's wedding ring was gone. Her finger was left bare and naked. Someone had stolen it!

Alice's tips from the bar were still in her pocket, and her pearl necklace was still clasped around her neck, but her ring was gone. She never removed it from her finger, so where did it go.

There was a small walkway in the park, and the little light given off from the small street-lamps gave it an eerie glow. Alice thought that she saw something in the light. Something small and childlike, but in another minute it was gone.

_That is strange, _she thought to herself, as she neared the walkway to investigate.

She was now standing beneath the moth-infested beam of light and she saw nothing, but she knew that the thief was near. She could hear the rustling of someone in the shrubs right beside her.

Pretending she didn't notice anything, she walked around the light and the shrubbery and started tapping her boots as she walked a little further down the sidewalk.

Suddenly a small boy popped out of the bushes and took off in a mad dash, deeper into the park.

Alice took off after him.

"Hey, come back!" she yelled, but the boy still ran his little heart out. He couldn't have been older than seven! Why would he be stealing from her?

Suddenly the boy was cornered by a large stone wall. He stopped and turned around. Alice could actually take in what the boy looked like from here. He wore strange clothes. It was like he jumped out of a gothic circus. His pants were black and red pin-stripes, his coat was black and tied with a skull like bow, and as Alice stopped in front of him, he put on a hat that seemed to come out of nowhere. The more Alice looked at him, the more she noticed that he didn't really look like a little boy at all. He had the eyes of someone older, much older.

"Give me my ring back," she said to the boy. The boy smiled a smile of sharpened teeth. Alice couldn't help but flinch at the sight of the ragged sharp teeth, but she neared the boy once again.

"Please give me my ring. It was my mothers."

"I like this piece of jewelry," the boy said, his voice resembling that of a British person's, but very different, 'and the Queen would be very pleased if I brought this back."

"I don't care," Alice said, "I have you cornered and now you have to give it back. Do you want me to call the police?"

The boy looked at her quizzically. "Do you know what you are dealing with?" he asked her in a cocky manner.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked him.

The boy shook his head and turned around, only to look over his shoulder once more before a big dark tunnel appeared in the stone wall.

"If you don't want to die," he said, again smiling his biting smile, "than I suggest you go home and forget about the ring and I. But...if you want to die trying to get it back, you can follow me."

With that the boy jumped into the hole, disappearing completely. Alice couldn't believe what she just saw and what he just said. She figured that this boy wasn't from England. But wherever he was from, she was going to get her ring back that was for sure. She wasn't going to give up that easily.

Taking a few steps forward she put her hand in the darkness. Nothing bit her or grabbed her, and with one single step, she entered...


	2. Great Halls and Mysterious Doors

Today's chapter is brought to you by, Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden....

In what seemed darkness, Alice found herself in a giant room. Her eyes didn't register what she saw. It was like a great hall of black and white tile. The walls were black and it seemed like if she touched them that she would fall through. They were tangible, yet they were not. She kept to the middle of the black and white path. There wasn't a ceiling that she could see, and she didn't doubt that the walls went on forever. At the end of the strange hall stood a black lacquer door that seemed to go on forever as well.

_He had to go through there, _she thought to herself, _there is no other way._

She was determined to get her ring back from that little thief. She began sprinting towards the door, but the door seemed to get further and further away from her the faster she ran. Panting, she slumped over to catch her breath.

"Agh!" she screamed into the dark hall and it seemed to echo forever. "How the hell am I supposed to get out of here!"

Standing straight and holding back the tears from her eyes, she studied the far away door. There was something strange about it. It seemed like if she reached out just a little she could touch it, but it was so far away!

Reaching out her hand, she focused on the door and the large handle. Suddenly she felt the cold wood underneath her hand and in a gust of wind she was at the door, pulling it open.

Her eyes were wide in amazement, and her brain was on overload. What just happened? Where was she?

Peeking on the other side of the door, she saw that familiar black wall that she passed through to follow the thief boy.

"Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself, and closing her eyes she passed through the door.

This time she wasn't greeted with a little light to see where she was going. She was in a pitch-black room. She didn't dare to move for fear of plummeting down to her death because she was stupid to watch her step. "Hello?" she asked into the darkness, her voice quivering a little from fear.

There came a small tapping sound, like shoes on concrete, but with the echoes she couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Hello?" she asked again, her voice still aquiver, "Little boy?"

Suddenly she felt cold breath on her neck, and she could hear the silent beat of a heart. Alice's own heart was like a beating drum, pounding against her chest with such force that her lungs hurt.

Arms wrapped around her before she could run, and she screamed. A hand came over her mouth and she kicked as hard as she could, but the person behind her wouldn't budge. It felt like hitting rock. You couldn't chip rock with your fists, so kicking wouldn't help her, she knew that.

"How did you pass the gate?" A biting voice said behind her. He sounded young, but the words were heavy with age. Again she recognized the strange British accent.

He removed his hand from Alice's mouth.

She cried, "I don't know what you're talking about. I followed the little boy, he took my ring. Please just let me go."

"Little boy?" he asked his voice still scornful, "Mortals aren't allowed past my gate, so you must be lying. Tell me who you are."

Hot tears ran down her face, still the strong arms held her close to the long line of his body.

"Alice, my name is Alice," she cried, "And that little boy with the hat, he stole my ring. I just came to get it back, honestly! Please, just let me go!"

"Mortal!" the man behind her hissed, "This surprises me greatly. No mortal has ever gone through my gates...what to do with you?"

With that he dropped Alice to the floor with a thud, and she began to scamper away blind through the darkness. But before she got anywhere a hand grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her back.

"Sleep," the man demanded and Alice fell into blissful darkness...


	3. The Gate Keeper of Wonderland

This chapter brought to you by: Down in a Hole, by Alice in Chains (hehe )

...Alice woke up. At first her eyes fluttered open to a lit fire underneath a black fire-mantel, then she woke to its smoldering embers. Sitting up, she found herself bound by chains wrapped around her ankles and hands, she was sitting on a high-back velvet chair beside the fire. The room was dark and the only things that she could see was the chair in front of her and the fireplace. Suddenly a man appeared in the chair opposite her, his chin in his hand, and his arm leaning on the side of the chair. He had black hair, pale skin, almost white, dark eyes, he wore black slacks, shoes, and a black t-shirt. If Alice ever saw him in New York, she would have thought he was just a normal guy. He looked at her with the most curiosity.

Leaning back, he scratched his head and continued to look at Alice. Then he smiled, and what Alice saw made her gasp and stare. He had fangs like a vampire! Fangs! She couldn't believe it! Fangs!

"Don't be so surprised!" he said to her, laughing a little, "But I guess as a mortal you aren't accustomed to vampires are you?" He leaned forward, studying Alice's eyes with a smile playing on his face.

Alice kept still and glared at him. She was scared, really scared, but she wasn't going to let him see that. She wanted to get out of here, and fast.

"Who are you?" Alice asked, with despise in her voice, "And why did you kidnap me?"

The man's smile widened a little, and he gave a small bow. "I am the Queen's Royal Gate Keeper to the Mortal World," he said with pleasure, "or my friends just call me, Jack."

"And YOU, Alice," he said, "You intrigue me. I'm wondering how a mortal got passed the gate's barrier. This has never happened before, and it doesn't please me."

"I told you," Alice said, "I followed that little boy. He stole my ring!"

"And I don't remember any little mortal boys running through the gate before you. But I do remember, Trint, running in," he said, sort of thinking to himself, "Was he short? Did he have a top-hat, and was he a smart-ass?"

"Yes," Alice said, "but I don't understand."

Jack laughed a little and put his head in his hand, leaning on the chair again. "Trint is a goblin, my dear, and a very high in society one too."

"Goblin?" Alice asked.

"You really don't know where you are do you?" he asked, his face gone slack and back to curiosity.

"No," Alice answered, "Where am I?"

Jack snapped his fingers and a door appeared in the darkness, it opened up and revealed a scene of pictures. In the pictures there were unusual cities, forests, strange animals, vampires, strange creatures walking amongst each other, people as well as other creatures fighting, being tortured, laughing. And in a flash of light the pictures stopped and Alice stared in wonder. Jack closed the door and opened it back up. It was just black, like the other doors that she has come through.

Snapping his fingers again, the chains on Alice disappeared and she was suddenly beside him, before the door.

"Welcome to Wonderland," he said, and with a single push, she plummeted through the door and it was closed behind her...


	4. Welcome to the Nocturnal Forest

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Just so everyone knows I play volleyball, and will be gone most days. I will try to write often, but the chapters will be kind of short, until the weekends. Also, I start school next Tuesday, September 7, 2004, so updates will have to wait until after volleyball practice, homework, and/or games. Once again, I will intend on writing longer chapters on the weekends, but that isn't a promise. Thank you, and please review!

Today's chapter song is: A Decade Under the Influence, by Taking Back Sunday

**A**lice fell to the ground with a thud. The door from where she came was slammed shut by a very amused vampire, and then it disappeared completely.

Standing up and dusting herself off, she took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in a forest...a very strange forest indeed.

She was standing upon a path of dirt, but the trees that almost engulfed her were like morbid pines. The black needles pointed towards the ground and looked stiff and unreal. They hung down just above her head, glimmering in the little sunlight that barely peeked through.

She reached up to touch one of the pines, and pain shot through her finger.

"Ouch!" she yelled, and held her finger up to the dim light. There was a small orb of blood forming on it. Plucking one of the needles, carefully, from the tree, she brought it down to investigate. The tiny needle looked like it could have stabbed right through her finger if the force was enough. It was like black steel!

She looked back down on her aching finger, and just when she was about to wipe the blood off on her jeans, her hand was snatched up from her. She screamed and turned to see Jack, smiling. He slowly lifted her hand up and kissed the blood away from her finger. "Now we don't want you to get hurt in the Nocturnal Forest, do we?"

Alice pulled her hand back from him. "I can take care of myself," she said, crossing her arms, and suppressing the shiver that claimed her after Jack kissed her finger.

Jack laughed. "You think that _you_ can take care of yourself? In here of all places!" he made a wide gesture of his hands, "You do amuse me mortal Alice. But Wonderland is not a place where you would want to be alone."

Alice thought about this. She didn't know what she was doing, that was right, but she didn't want to be with Jack, anything but him. He just creeped her out, and he was a vampire!

"I don't need help from a vampire, let alone a vampire stalker," Alice said, with bite in her voice, and she began to walk down the path.

"Suit yourself!" she heard Jack call behind her as she walked deeper into the forest.

It seemed that the deeper and deeper that Alice got, the plants grew thicker, and the trees grew smaller, but the sunlight was still limited, and Alice could tell that night was coming. She was amazed at the beauty in some of the plants around her. Some had giant black flowers, red flowers, and gray flowers. Some looked like vines that seemed to wrap around everything and they grew thick on the forest floor, like a soft bed of dark green.

What Alice didn't see though were the animals of Wonderland. Did they even have animals here? She wondered if they were hostile or not, but she wasn't going to let her guard down...

After walking down the path, for what seemed like hours, Alice had to stop and rest against the tall vines. Her eyes threatened to close on her numerous times, but she forced herself awake and aware.

She began thinking about the past day. Everything had flipped upside down. Everything had gone completely wrong. Tears welted in her eyes as she thought about her mother's ring, lost and stolen, but she choked them back. She had to be strong. No matter how...weird this place was she was going to find that goblin, Trint, and take her ring back, she had to...

Lost in thought, her eyes began to close, and she began to dream...


	5. Demon Extroardinare and Attorney at Law ...

**T**here was whispering in the air, but Alice continued to dream in black. She was lost in the middle of being asleep and being awake. So, she just listened to the strange, light, voice.

"A mortal, Jack," the voice said, "Who would have thought, a mortal in Wonderland?"

Then a very familiar voice came in return. "Yes, it is interesting," the voice replied, "I can't seem to get her out of my mind."

The light voice chuckled. "Yes, I know how intriguing the blood of a mortal tastes, Jack, but what would the precious Queen think if her prized Gate Keeper was following a mortal girl?"

The voice made a few tsks. "Don't make a big mistake, Jack. Turn around and go back to the Gates before it's too late. Leave her to me. She will be in good hands..."

Alice's eyes fluttered open, she was greeted by the vampire Jack, and a strange looking man.

The man was tall, about six-foot, and he wore black slacks, shoes, and a red long sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. His arms were crossed as he looked at Alice with a menacing smile. His smile was a great big grin with large white teeth. It was a smile you couldn't forget. His eyes were almost too large also.

He scratched at his hair and Alice noticed something in his dark, chestnut hair. There were ears! Not like human ears, they were like cat ears! How unusual this place was! Jack wasn't looking at Alice, instead he was kicking at the ground with his hand in his pockets. Alice stood up, dusting herself off.

"Jack, your pet is awake!" the man said, grinning his very wide smile.

Jack seemed to have jolted at this remark and turned around to meet Alice's unhappy eyes.

"I said I don't need you stalking me, Jack," Alice said, again giving him the death glare.

Jack's face was all out of amusement. "Perhaps I coincidentally stumbled upon you, Alice. Besides, Chess here," he said, jolting a thumb in the strange man's direction, "wants to stalk you more than I do."

The man, Chess, laughed and it was mirrored by Jack's. Then he bowed deeply. "Chess, demon extraordinare, at your service." He then pulled a card out of thin air and handed it to Alice. "I am also a lawyer, if you ever need me," he said, winking at Alice.

She took the card and studied it.

Cheshire Pratt 

_**Attorney at Law**_

City of Hearts Law 

"You have lawyers here too?" Alice said in disbelief and then began to laugh herself, "This place is truly a work of art." She continued laughing in hysterics and began to walk further down the path, leaving a confused vampire and demon behind scratching their heads and ears.


End file.
